Post to Telegram with Media

Telegram Post

Create and schedule posts to Telegram channels and groups using the Publora MCP server. Supports rich markdown formatting, photos, videos, and message delivery options.

Prerequisites

Plans: Free Starter (15 posts/month), Pro, Premium

Getting Started

1. Create account at publora.com/register (free)
2. Create Telegram bot:
   • Message @BotFather on Telegram
   • Send /newbot and follow instructions
   • Save the bot token
3. Add bot to your channel:
   • Add the bot as administrator to your channel/group
   • Grant can_post_messages permission
4. Connect in Publora at Dashboard with bot token and channel name
5. Get API key at publora.com/settings/api
6. Configure MCP in Claude Desktop (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "publora": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.publora.com",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

REST API Fallback

If the MCP server is unavailable or returns errors, use the REST API directly:

Base URL: https://api.publora.com/api/v1

Authentication: Use x-publora-key header (NOT Authorization: Bearer):

# Get your connected platforms
curl -X GET "https://api.publora.com/api/v1/platform-connections" \
  -H "x-publora-key: sk_your_api_key"

# Create a post
curl -X POST "https://api.publora.com/api/v1/create-post" \
  -H "x-publora-key: sk_your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "platforms": ["telegram-1001234567890"],
    "content": "*Announcement*\n\nYour message here",
    "scheduledTime": "2026-03-25T10:00:00Z"
  }'

Platform ID Format: telegram-{chat_id} where {chat_id} is the channel/group numeric ID from /platform-connections.

Example IDs: telegram-1001234567890, telegram--1002345678901

📖 Full API documentation: docs.publora.com

Plan Limits

Plan	Posts/month	Price
Starter	15	Free
Pro	100/account	$2.99/account/month
Premium	500/account	$9.99/account/month

Platform Limits (Bot API)

Feature	Limit
Text message	4,096 characters
Media caption	1,024 characters (critical limit!)
Images	10 MB max, 10 per media group
Image formats	JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WebP
Video size	50 MB max (not 4 GB - that's for users!)
Video formats	MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WebM
Rate limit	30 msg/sec global, 20 msg/min per group

Critical: Bot API has much lower limits than regular Telegram users. Videos over 50 MB and captions over 1,024 characters will fail.

Markdown Formatting

Telegram uses its own markdown flavor with single asterisks for bold:

Syntax	Result
*bold*	bold
_italic_	italic
`code`	inline code
code	Code block
[text](url)	hyperlink
> text	Blockquote

Note: This differs from standard Markdown where **double asterisks** make bold.

Available Tools

create_post

Create a new Telegram post.

Parameters:

• platforms: Array with your Telegram connection ID (e.g., ["telegram-1001234567890"])
• content: Message text (supports markdown)
• scheduledTime: ISO 8601 datetime (required - for immediate posting, use current time + 1 minute)

get_upload_url

Get presigned URL for media uploads.

list_posts / update_post / delete_post

Manage scheduled and draft posts.

Post Options (via REST API)

Telegram-specific options available via REST API platformSettings.telegram:

Option	Description
disableNotification	Send silently (no sound)
disableWebPagePreview	No link preview cards
showCaptionAboveMedia	Caption above image/video
protectContent	Prevent forwarding/saving

Note: platformSettings is not available via MCP - use REST API for these options.

Examples

Simple Channel Post

Post this to my Telegram channel:
"*Product Update v2.5*

We have shipped the following improvements:
- _Faster API response times_ (avg 45ms)
- New `batch` endpoint for bulk operations

[Read the changelog](https://example.com/changelog)"

Formatted Announcement

Create a Telegram post with this formatting:
"*Important Update*

We're launching our new feature tomorrow at 10 AM UTC.

_What's new:_
- Feature A improvements
- Feature B release

[Read the full announcement](https://example.com/update)"

Post with Image

Post this image to my Telegram channel with caption:
"*New Dashboard Preview*

Here's a sneak peek at our redesigned analytics dashboard."

Important: Caption must be under 1,024 characters when posting with media.

Scheduled Post

Schedule this for tomorrow at 8 AM Moscow time:
"*Good morning!* Here's your daily market summary..."

Important Restrictions

1. Caption limit is 1,024 chars: When posting with media (images/videos), text is sent as a caption limited to 1,024 characters. Text-only messages allow 4,096 characters.

2. Video max 50 MB: Bot API limits videos to 50 MB (not 4 GB like regular users). Large videos will fail.

3. Bot must be admin: Your bot needs administrator role with can_post_messages permission. This is verified at connection time.

4. No mixed media: A single post cannot contain both images and videos.

5. Caption overflow: If caption exceeds 1,024 chars on a media post, it's sent as a separate reply message instead of being truncated.

Best Practices

Content

1. Use formatting: Bold headlines, italic emphasis improves readability
2. Link previews: Great for articles; disable for cleaner announcements
3. Emoji usage: Common and expected on Telegram
4. Post length: No penalty for longer posts on text-only messages

Timing

• Global audience: Telegram users are worldwide; consider timezone posts
• Best times: 8-10 AM, 12-2 PM, 7-9 PM in target regions
• Frequency: Channels can post more frequently (5-10/day)

Engagement

• Enable comments in channel settings for discussions
• Use polls for engagement
• Pin important announcements

Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Solution
"Bot not admin"	Bot missing admin permissions	Add bot as admin with can_post_messages
"Channel not found"	Wrong channel name/ID	Verify @channelname or numeric chat ID
MEDIA_CAPTION_TOO_LONG	Caption > 1,024 chars	Shorten caption or use text-only post
"Bad Request: file is too big"	File > 50 MB	Compress video/image to under 50 MB
"Mixed media not supported"	Images + video in same post	Use one media type per post